The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company will embark on a European tour this May with "Jungle," choreographed by the company’s artistic director, Kim Sung-yong.
The first stop is Stockholm, where the piece will be performed May 4 at the Oscar Theater to mark the second anniversary of the Korean Cultural Center in Sweden.
In London, Jungle will open the 8th edition of A Festival of Korean Dance, taking place May 7-8. The annual event is co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Center UK and contemporary dance venue The Place.
The tour will conclude May 11 in Pamplona, Spain, as part of the Chumdanza Festival, organized by the Korean Cultural Center in Spain.
Featuring 17 dancers, “Jungle” explores individuality and collective tension through a metaphorical landscape where instinct and vitality erupt into physical confrontation.
Kim noted that the piece was developed through his own movement research method called Process Init, which he described as an exploration of the questions and stories exchanged between the choreographer and the dancers, in a previous interview with The Korea Herald.
Inspired in part by the Louvre Abu Dhabi’ iconic dome designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, which filters natural light into dappled, ever-changing patterns, “Jungle” reinterprets architectural influence into kinetic language onstage.
Last year, the piece was performed in France, Italy, Austria, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
